day : 06/10/2014 8 results

Seattle City Light says it’s planning underground-cable work in two West Seattle neighborhoods, and that work will come with scheduled outages. These are the maps accompanying the announcement – first, sections of 20th and Webster:

Next, several blocks in Fauntleroy.

Click either image to see the full flyer with both maps. Here’s the SCL overview of the planned work:

Seattle City Light plans to increase reliability in five sections of its service
territory by injecting aging underground electrical cable with silicone.

* Work: Seattle City Light’s contractor first tests and, if electric cable is suitable, injects it with silicone. The silicone fills cracks in the cable’s insulation and extends its life by approximately 20 years.

* Impacts and timeline: Up to three power outages per customer are required to do the work safely. Customer notification will happen on the Thursday before the next week’s outage. The start date is the week of October 13. All five neighborhoods are expected to be completed within eight weeks.

* Further information: The point of contact for customers, Website, and additional details are cited in each flyer.

(The “five sections” reference includes four areas outside West Seattle.)

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Followup: ‘Friends of Gatewood’ continue fundraising to keep a teacher

October 6, 2014 9:03 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Tomorrow night, West Seattle’s representative on the Seattle Public Schools board, Marty McLaren, convenes her second community-conversation meeting since the start of the new school year. And the topics are expected to include Gatewood Elementary parents’ unusual campaign to raise enough money to keep a teacher.

We first reported on the situation Thursday; because of enrollment numbers that differed from projections, the district said it planned to reduce the teaching staff at Gatewood by one, moving a teacher to newly reopened Fairmount Park Elementary. At both schools, parents say, the result would include moving students around in multiple classes.

Gatewood parents say that circumstances at their school, including its programs with full inclusion for Emotional/Behavioral Disorder students, mean they cannot afford the disruption of losing a teacher now:

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Seattle microhousing has rules, definition, and a name – SEDUs – after unanimous City Council vote

October 6, 2014 4:37 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

The city officially has rules for microhousing – or, if you prefer, SEDUs (small efficiency dwelling units). They’ve been in the works for months and, two weeks after the final committee discussion, won official, unanimous council approval this afternoon. Read the full bill here; here are the highlights from the city toplines featured our story about them last month:

*Creates a definition for small efficiency dwelling units (SEDU).

*Clarifies the definition of dwelling unit.

*Establishes required components of SEDUs, including a 150-square-foot minimum sleeping room area, a 220 square foot minimum total floor area, a food preparation area (sink, refrigerator, countertop, cooking appliance) and a bathroom (sink, toilet, shower or bathtub).

*Limits the issuance of Restricted Parking Zone permits to no more than one per SEDU or congregate residence sleeping room.

*Requires Streamlined Design Review to be applied, in all zones, to congregate residences and residential uses that are more than 50 percent comprised of SEDUs if they contain between 5,000 and 11,999 square feet of gross floor area.

*Limits the construction of congregate residences that do not meet certain ownership or operational requirements to higher density zones that are located within Urban Centers and Urban Villages

*Increases the minimum required area of communal space in a congregate residence from 10 percent of the total floor area of all sleeping rooms to 15 percent of the total floor area of all sleeping rooms.

*Creates a new vehicle parking requirement of one parking space for every two SEDUs for areas of the City where vehicle parking is required for multifamily residential uses.

*Increases bicycle parking requirements for SEDUs and congregate residences to 0.75 bicycle spaces per SEDU or congregate residence sleeping room.

*Requires the bicycle parking required for SEDUs and congregate residences to be covered for weather protection.

*Allows required, covered bicycle parking for SEDUs or congregate residence sleeping rooms to be exempt from Floor Area Ratio limits if the required parking is located inside the building that contains the SEDUs or congregate residence sleeping rooms.

*Calls on the Department of Planning and Development to complete an analysis of the City’s vehicle and bicycle parking requirements and present its recommendations for regulatory changes to the City Council by no later than March 31, 2015.

That last item, as we noted last month, goes beyond microhousing.

West Seattle has two microhousing buildings already open – Footprint Delridge and Footprint Avalon I – and three on the drawing board. As reported here two weeks ago, two of the not-yet-under-construction projects – at 3268 SW Avalon Way and 3050 SW Avalon Way – are on hold because of a court decision that would require them to go through Design Review, or undergo a significant redesign.

During this afternoon’s council meeting, discussion preceding the vote included a rebuke by West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen for city departments not catching “loopholes” he said developers exploited when first opening these projects here. (You can watch the discussion and vote in the archived Seattle Channel video atop this story; the vote is 71 minutes into the video.)

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From land-use land: Comment time for West Seattle YMCA expansion, Fire Station 32 rebuild

October 6, 2014 1:53 pm

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| Triangle | West Seattle news

The official comment period has opened for two major local – but not residential – projects in The Triangle, according to notices in today’s city-issued Land Use Information Bulletin:

(Rendering of the future northwestern corner)
YMCA EXPANSION: As first reported here one month ago, the West Seattle Y (WSB sponsor) plans to expand on its current site at 4515 36th SW. Here’s the land-use-application notice; here’s how to comment – deadline is October 19th.

FIRE STATION 32 REBUILD: The fire station at 4700 38th SW in The Triangle also is expanding, with a total rebuild, and a City Council land-use action is required for permits, as well as other steps outlined in today’s notice. This notice also opens a comment period through October 19th; here’s how to have a say.

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Feeding those in need: Lettuce Pray delivers 2 1/2 tons of food

October 6, 2014 1:05 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

Back in 2009, we reported on Lettuce Pray – local faith communities collecting food donations, particularly fresh-grown produce, for local food banks. It’s been going strong ever since, and just wrapped up another season. Jane Taylor shares this update:

I wanted to pass along the success of this summer’s Lettuce Pray collection. Kristen Parsons and I were unable to carry on these weekly collections of food from the churches, so Becky Boberg from WestSide Universalist Unitarian Church took it over for us.

As you can see, she collected about 1500 pounds of food, of which 1150 were fresh produce, grown by West Seattleites and taken to church on Sunday, where Becky picked it all up and deposited it directly into cold storage at the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks.Besides OLG and WWUU, participating churches included Alki UCC, St. John the Baptist Episcopal, Tibbetts United Methodist, Holy Rosary, and St. Bernadette’s.

In its six years, Lettuce Pray has collected over 5,000 pounds of fresh produce and an equal amount of canned goods and non perishables. Our thanks to the generous souls (and gardeners) of West Seattle – and to Becky Boberg! We’ll be back next summer!

Jane also forwarded the photos – noting that’s Becky’s hand, holding those beautiful tomatoes!

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen station wagon; mystery hit-run

October 6, 2014 10:25 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two Monday morning West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

HAVE YOU SEEN CARRIE ANN’S STATION WAGON? Silver 2002 Volvo V70 wagon, license #AAE8123, stolen in The Junction “up the street from Holy Rosary,” sometime between 8:30 pm Friday & 9:30 am Saturday. Small black spot on the back hatch, where the previous owner’s bike rack rubbed; small-medium dent in the rear passenger’s side door; long slice all along the headliner, across the front, near the windshield; multiple brightly-colored IKEA blankets left inside. Call 911 if you see it.

Also this morning:
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West Seattle Monday: What’s notable for today/tonight

October 6, 2014 9:09 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to Mark Wangerin (psst, bought his student-benefiting West Seattle Wildlife calendar yet?) for the photo of a young Cooper’s Hawk. We now fly on into Monday. Not too much on our calendar, but here are a few notes:

MICROHOUSING VOTE: During its 2 pm meeting, the City Council is expected to vote on the microhousing rules it’s been working on – read them in full here; toplines are in our report from two weeks ago. (City Hall/Seattle Channel)

SEAHAWKS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: 5:30 pm; places to watch with a big screen *and* food as well as beverages (it’s a dinnertime game, after all) include WSB sponsor Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW) in Morgan Junction and Skylark in North Delridge (3803 Delridge Way).

FAMILY STORY TIME: For kids of all ages (and the grownups accompanying them) – 6:30 pm at High Point Branch Library. (35th/Raymond)

LATER START TIMES FOR TEENS: Today’s the deadline if you’re interested in pursuing a position on the task force Seattle Public Schools is setting up to consider this.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: October’s first Monday

October 6, 2014 6:30 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Welcome to a new week! Perhaps the biggest traffic note of the day, so far, would be expectations that the pm commute might ramp up a bit earlier tonight, with Seahawks fans trying to get to wherever they plan to watch tonight’s game (5:30 pm vs. Washington)

TRANSPORTATION NEWS OVER THE WEEKEND: Want to help look at the “big picture” in The Junction – what it would take to truly be a “transit community”? Join a tour and conversation Saturday … Speaking of The Junction, a signal-sequence change has drawn attention … Here are two alerts for later this week.

8:50 AM UPDATE: Northbound I-5 has a lane-blocking crash described as “south of I-90,” so that’s likely to be affecting the offramp from the east end of the bridge.

8:58 AM UPDATE: WSDOT says the crash has cleared.

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